Sunny Hostin says Wicked star Cynthia Erivo contacted her last week to challenge the way she discussed the alleged sexual assault case involving Cornell University.
The 57-year-old co-host disclosed the conversation during Monday’s episode of The View’s Behind the Table podcast.
Hostin, a former federal prosecutor, drew criticism on September 29 when she told viewers the alleged 2024 rape case was being covered “inaccurately” and “unfairly.” Her comments came as her co-hosts expressed outrage over the allegations detailed in the accuser’s newly filed, 100-page civil lawsuit.
Hostin argued that the original account given to police by the then-20-year-old accuser did not meet the threshold for a criminal prosecution. She noted that the woman told detectives she had been intoxicated and had voluntarily snorted ketamine from one of the fraternity members.
“The bar is so very high in New York once someone is voluntarily intoxicated to prove sexual assault,” Hostin told The View executive producer Brian Teta.
“It’s already beyond a reasonable doubt, and then you add that onto it, the burden becomes so high—you can’t… It’s almost impossible to prove sexual assault.”
Hostin said she found the backlash to her position “kind of fascinating.”
She then shared the story of Erivo’s response.
Sunny Hostin said this week that her friend, Wicked actress Cynthia Erivo, called her last week
Erivo advised the daytime host on how to present her legal analysis after Hostin’s September 29 discussion of the alleged Cornell University sexual assault case
“Cynthia Erivo is, um, a good friend of mine,” Hostin said.
“That may be surprising to people, but we’re both in the same sorority, we’ve spent a lot of time together, and I love her. And she loves me,” Hostin told Teta.
“She called me from Paris. And she’s actually working on a movie about consent and sexual assault.”
Hostin said the British actress had seen only a video clip of her criticizing media outlets that published photographs of the seven men accused in the civil lawsuit filed by the former student last month.
According to Hostin, Erivo told her: “Sis, I know you, and I know your heart, and I know your life’s work has been about protecting women and children. But the clip that I saw doesn’t reflect who you are.”
Hostin said Erivo also praised her for being blunt and for having the ability to “cut the BS out”—qualities she said the two friends have in common.
But Erivo encouraged her to change the way she delivered her legal analysis. “Instead of leading with the law, I need to lead with empathy,” Hostin recalled, explaining that doing so could help viewers absorb the legal message.
Hostin told Teta that Erivo’s advice prompted her to make a modest adjustment to the way she offers legal perspective on the case.
“She called me from Paris. And she’s actually working on a movie about consent and sexual assault,” Hostin told The View executive producer Brian Teta while discussing the backlash over her argument that the accuser’s allegations were unlikely to result in a criminal case
On the September 29 broadcast, Hostin said within minutes of the discussion that the case would likely have gone to trial if the alleged incident had been investigated in Washington, DC, rather than New York.
‘I would have prosecuted this case like I prosecuted a lot of sex crimes,’ she added.
Hostin told Teta this week that she ‘led with that’ to hit home how important location is to building a criminal case.
‘In New York, if you are voluntarily intoxicated, you would almost have to be completely passed out,’ she said.
‘You would have to affirmatively say, “no,” or you would have to be drugged involuntarily to prove sexual assault.’
Teta interrupted: ‘Right, which is different than saying that you don’t have empathy for this person.’
He also clarified that all seven of the accused have ‘denied any wrongdoing.’
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‘Yes. It’s very different than defending,’ Hostin said.
The woman’s suit included text messages sent by her accused abusers during an alleged assault that occurred on October 19, 2024
Teta ended the exchange by noting Hostin’s past tendency to bring emotion into her arguments, and his belief that Hostin temporarily ‘threw’ viewers by being more analytical in this case.
‘And I was analytical for many reasons. I really felt it necessary to make it very clear. I’ve also seen the facts of the case,’ Hostin said.
Our News Outlet has approached Erivo for comment. She appeared on The View in November of last year.
The office of Tompkins County DA Matthew Van Houten, meanwhile, originally ruled there was ‘insufficient evidence to support criminal charges’ when the accuser’s case was originally reviewed in November 2024.
According to the civil complaint, the accuser, identified only as Jane Doe, was 20 and had been drinking at her sorority house and at bars before she arrived at the frat house to visit a friend, who was one of the fraternity members, on October 19, 2024.
The friend and another fraternity member then gave her more alcohol and coaxed her into snorting a substance they described as ketamine, the suit alleged.
Doe was then allegedly sexually assaulted while ‘incapable of consent.’
A third fraternity member also entered the room and joined in the assault, according to the complaint.
Erivo appeared on the View back in November. Hostin described the interaction as friendly despite seemingly being scolded
At roughly 1.42am, one of the three allegedly sent a message to the fraternity’s Snapchat group chat that read ‘free p***y.’
The text ‘encouraged other… chapter members to join in on the gang rape of plaintiff,’ the suit alleged.
Multiple other members of the frat then entered the room, according to the complaint. One kissed Doe without consent, the lawsuit alleged. One of the first three men ordered her to take more ketamine and groped her, according to the filing.
The seven defendants named then poured the substance onto Doe’s body and snorted it, according to the complaint.
After more time passed, five defendants left the room, leaving two. They led Doe into a different room, where they instructed her to take more of the drug and sexually assaulted her until about 5.45am, the complaint stated.
The lawsuit was enough for Van Houten to take a new look at the claims.
Doe initially reported the incident to Cornell University police on November 8, 2024, according to the complaint. Her attorney said Cornell expelled two of the seven men while others received more lenient forms of punishment like suspensions.
Cornell confirmed doling out both forms of punishment in a statement last month.
Doe’s attorney, Thomas P Giuffra, said last month that he suspects the initial investigation was inadequate – a claim Hostin said she also suspects.
‘I would want to have an SVU investigator. I would want to have a victim witness advocate in the room. I would want to have it on videotape, so that she wouldn’t have to continuously explain what happened,’ she told Teta Monday.
‘So, there are all these things that are generally in place, and they were in place when I was doing this, you know, 20 years ago, that weren’t followed.
‘I also didn’t share on air because, one, I didn’t think it was pertinent; and two, because you know how private my daughter is.’
Hostin’s 20-year-old daughter, Paloma Hostin, is a junior at the Upstate New York university.
